Garment-supporter clasp.



No. 897,295. PATBNTED SEPT; 1, 1908. D. DE LANOEY & J. J. BUCHANAN.

GARMENT SUPPORTER CLASP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE.

DARRAGH DE LANCEY AND JOHN J. BUCHANAN, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO WATERBURY BUCKLE 00., OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

GARMENT-SUPPORTER CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 1, 1908.

Application filed February 6, 1908. Serial No. 414,565.

ings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in

. Figure 1 a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of our improved garment-supporter clasp shown with its operating-lever in its open position. Fig. 2 a plan view of the clasp shown as closed. Fig. 3 a view of the clasp in vertical longitudinal section, shown as closed. Fig. 4 a detached view in inside elevation of the inner jaw. Fig. 5 a detached. view of the spring. Fig. 6 a detached view of the outer jaw. Fig. 7 a broken view showing a modified construction for securing the rubber disk of the inner jaw and the lower end of the spring in place. Fig. 8 a broken sectional view showing a modified construction for connecting the upper end of the spring with the upper end of the outer jaw. Fig. 9 a detached view in end elevation of the operating lever.

Our invention relates to an improvement in garment-supporter clasps, the object being to provide a simple, convenient and effective clas adapted to hold fabrics of varying thic mess without tearing them.

With these ends in view our invention consists in a garment-supporter clasp having certain details of construction and combinations of arts as will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out our invention as herein shown, we employ a flat sheet metal, leaf-like spring 2 conforming in contour to the inner jaw 3 but made small enough to fit within the same, the spring having at its lower end a circular terminal 4 joined by a tapered portion 5 to the main body of the spring the sides of which are parallel. This spring is secured in place as shown by an eyelet 6 employed to secure the rubber disk 7 of the inner jaw in place, the circular terminal 4 of the spring being formed with a concentric hole 8 for the reception of the eyelet 6. As

an additional means of securing the spring in place, the inner aw 3 1s formed with two in tegral fingers 9 which are turned inward from the edges of the jaw over the tapered portion ,5 of the spring.

If. preferred, the eyelet 6 may be dispensed with and the disk 7 held in place by means of fingers 10 formed integral with the inner jaw and turned over the edges of the disk as shown in Fig. 8. In this construction the fingers 10 will perform the twofold office of holding the disk 7 and the spring in place. At its upper end the spring is connected with the pivotal outer jaw 11 by means of a finger 12 forming an extension of the upper end of the outer jaw and turned inward over the extreme upper end of the spring as clearly shown in Fig. 3. If preferred, however, this mode might be reversed by having the upper end of the spring extended to form a finger 13 which in that case would be bent over the upper end of the outer jaw 11, as shown in Fig. 6. The said. outer jaw is formed with trunnions 14 which rest in notches 15 formed in side flanges 16 turned forward at a right angle from the sides of the inner jaw 3. The said outer aw 11 is operated against the tension of the sprin 2 by means of a lever having a long arm 17 forming the finger-piece, and a short arm 18 the edge of which coacts directly with the outer face of the upper jaw, the lever being formed with trunnions 19 passing through bearing holes 20 formed to receive them in ears 21 rising from the side flanges 16 of the inner jaw.

To stiffen the outer jaw it is formed, as shown in Fig. 6, with longitudinal ribs 22 for the clearance of which the arm 18 of the operating lever is formed with notches 23. The outer jaw 11 is provided with a rubber disk 24 secured in place as shown by a rivet 25, the disk 24 corresponding to the disk7 and the rivet 25 to the rivet 6. At its upper end the inner jaw is formed with an integral clip-like extension 26 for the reception of the ends 27 of the cord by means of which the clasp is suspended.

It will be understood that by virtue of the construction shown and described, the spring 2 will exert a constant effort to throw the outer jaw into its open position from which it is forced into its closed position against the tension of the spring by swinging the lever into its elevated position in which the short arm 18 of the lever engages with the outer face of the outer jaw as shown in Fig. 3. A

, clearance opening 28 in the upper portion of I permitting a wider opening of the jaws of the clasp than would take. place without the said clearance opening. Our improved construction permits the use of a flat spring nearly as long as the clasp and flexed nearly throughout its entire length, giving it an even tension throughout its entire range. Our improved construction, moreover, provides for concealing and protecting the spring, thus adding to the appearance of the device and reducing the liability of its derangement.

We claim 1. In a garment-supporter clasp, the combination with the inner jaw thereof, of an outer jaw mounted on the inner jaw, an operating lever pivotally mounted in the inner jaw in position to coact with the outer face of the outer jaw, and a spring located within the inner jaw and having its lower end secured thereto and its upper end attached to the upper end of the outer jaw.

2. In a garment-supporter clasp, the combination with the inner jaw thereof, of an outer jaw mounted on the inner aw, an opcated at the lower end of the inner jaw over the fixed lower end of the spring.

3. In a garment-supporter clasp, the com- I bination with an inner jaw formed in its upper portion with a clearance opening, of an outer aw mounted on the said inner aw, an operating lever pivotally mounted in the inner j aw in position to coact with the outer face of the outer jaw, and a spring located within the inner jaw and having its lower end secured thereto and its upper end attached to the upper end of the outer jaw the movement of which is increased by the said clearance opening.

In testimony whereof, we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DARRAGH DE LANCEY.

JOHN J. BUCHANAN.

Witnesses l\/IABEL E. BENTLEY, WM. F. AvERY. 

